Retailing

Vending sales slumped in 2023 in Ireland, compared to a better performance seen in 2022. This is attributed to the inflationary environment leading to low consumer spending power, as well as a normalisation effect following the uptick seen in 2022 as…

In 2023, apparel and footwear specialists in Germany, including H&M, experienced modest growth compared to the double-digit rise recorded the previous year due to an easing of pandemic restrictions and pent-up demand, yet sales remained below…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Sweden had to deal with unstable macroeconomic and geopolitical environments towards the end of the review period. The high inflation rates in 2022 and 2023 forced consumers to prioritise purchases of essential…

Despite a recovery to pre-pandemic value sales levels in 2022, driven by high inflation and pent-up demand for in-store shopping as mobility restrictions eased, appliances and electronics specialists in Germany returned to decline in 2023. This was…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Sweden was one of the few channels that posted a decrease in retail value sales in 2022 and 2023. This was the case even in current terms, even though the inflation rate reached a high single-digit figure in…

Convenience retailers in Germany recorded a resilient performance in 2023, despite a slowdown compared to the rapid growth witnessed in 2022 when cultural, leisure and professional events, including major trade, resumed at full capacity following…

Historically high inflation rates created huge challenges for convenience retailers in Sweden towards the end of the review period. As consumers started to plan their purchases more carefully and show a preference for discounters and large format…

In 2023, direct selling in Germany continued on its growth trajectory, albeit at a steadier pace compared to the spike during the pandemic. The channel's success is largely attributed to its effective digital transformation and the adoption of a…

Following marginal decreases in retail current value sales in 2021 and 2022, direct selling in Sweden faced another difficult year in 2023. While retail current value sales rose slightly, this was due to high inflationary pressure on prices. At…

In a macroeconomic environment marked by stagnation and low consumer confidence, in combination with historically high inflation rates, especially for food and drinks, discounters in Germany significantly outperformed all other grocery channels in…

Discounters in Sweden recorded the fastest retail current value growth among grocery retailers in 2023. The lower-cost grocery retail format was able to derive benefits from the slowdown in the Swedish economy connected to unstable geopolitical…

Value sales of general merchandise stores in Germany rebounded in 2023, following the previous year’s decline. The latter was driven by department stores, with the channel’s sales falling by double digits due to temporary store closures. Although the…

Within general merchandise stores in Sweden, similar to discounters in grocery retailers, variety stores’ positioning engendered robustness despite the difficult and unpredictable geopolitical and economic times. The main focus of the key players in…

Following a marginal decline the previous year, health and beauty specialists in Germany recorded moderate value growth in 2023, mainly driven by the rising demand for beauty and personal care products. With rising overall costs in Germany,…

Pharmacy chains Apotek Hjärtat (ICA Sverige) and Apoteket (Apoteket AB) continued to lead health and beauty specialists in Sweden, accounting for slightly more than one half of retail value shares in 2023. Kronans Apotek (Oriola AB) was the only…

In 2023, value sales of home products specialists in Germany experienced a marginal downturn following a particularly strong performance the previous year. This channel, which includes home improvement and gardening stores, homewares and home…

Home products specialists in Sweden were impacted by the lowered rates of new construction, which started to decrease in 2022. In 2023, the rate of new construction reached its lowest point since 2011, with only 25,500 new houses starting…

The economic slowdown in 2023 somewhat undermined the performance of hypermarkets in Germany, as the format is highly dependent on non-grocery purchases often considered by consumers as discretionary spending. This adds to the longer-term challenges…

Like other types of grocery retailers, hypermarkets in Sweden were impacted directly by historically high inflation, which reached high single-digit rates in 2022 and 2023. As a result, consumers became more price-sensitive and they started to look…

In 2023, Germany's e-commerce landscape showed signs of potential recovery, following 2022’s sales slump as the country emerged from the pandemic. A stronger return to stores, ongoing economic volatility, and low consumer confidence stemming from the…